Sharp County record., 1887-03-03
THE PENSION VETO.
Tho Dependant Pension Bill Re-
ceives a Black Eye.
svnop.ls of President Cleveland's Exhaust
I've Message to Congress Explaining
His Reasons for Withholding His
Signature From the Measure


his veto of the Dependent Pension Dill
savs that The almost constant pension leg
sslation since the close of the war has
nlaced upon the pension rolls S65, 763 pen
sjoners of all classes, for whom S75,OJ0-
100 have been appropriated for the current
wear. and for whom SSOS, ,624, ,S11 have been
expended from 1851 to 1886. 1t is now pro-
nosed to award service pensions to SOL
ders of all wars at the rate of sls per
month. 1t exacts only service OF three
months, without requiring engagement in
battle or subject to any actual dangers OF
war. The pension is allowed to men who
have suffered no injury, loss or damage OF
any kind due to military service, and in
cludes those who never reached the front
at all. The section of the bill allowing
This pension is in language so uncertain as
10 be subject to unjust and mischievous
application. The persons seeking pension
must be suffering moral or physical dis
ability, such as incapacitates from the
Performance Of labor in such degree as
to render them unable to earn support,
and must be dependent on their daily
labor for support.
Passing on to consideration of their
Conditions the President adds:
at will be observed that there is no lin
itation or definition Of the incapacitating
Injury or ailment itself 1t need only be
such dsgree of disability from any cause
as renders the claimant unable to earn
support by labor. 1t seems to me that the
'gupport here mentioned as one which
can not be earned is a complete and entire
1,,;tb itpi pnt on
The least impairment of physical or men
bal condition. If it had intended to en-
brace only those who, by disease or labor,
syere totally unable to labor, it would
have been very easy to express that idea,
instead of recognizing, as is done, adegree
of such inability"
And then he asks: "What is supports
Who is to determine whether a man earns
1t, or has it, or has it nots Is the Govern
ment to enter the homes of claimants for
pensions, and after an examination OF
their surroundings and circumstances,
settle those questions1 Shall the Govern
ment say to one man that his manner of
subsistence by his earnings is support,
and to another that the things that
his earnings furnish are not support?
ANY attempt, however honest, to admin
lister this law in such manner, would
necessarily produce more unfairness and
discrimination, and give more scope for
partisan partialty and would result in
more perverson of the Governments be-
Hevolent intentions than the execution OF
amy statute ought to permit If the effort
TO carry out the proposed law, the degree
of disability as related to earnings be
considered for the purpose of showing If
in any way it curtails the support which
the applicant, if entirely sound, would
earn, and to which he is entitled we enter
the broad field long occupied by the Pen
fon Bureau, and we recognize as the only
difference between the proposed legisla-
sion and previous laws passed for the be-
nefit Of the surviving soldiers of the civil
war, the incurrence, in one case, OF dis
abilities in military service, and in the
other disabilities existing but in no way
connected with, or resulting from such
service
'It must be borne in mind that in no
case is there any grading of this proposed
3 pension. Under the operation of the rule
4 first suggested, if there is lack in any
4 degree, great or small, of the ability 10
termines the claimant should have, and
by the application of the rule secondly
suggested if there is reduction in any
degree of the support which he mightearn
If sound, he is entitled to a pension OF
twelve dollars.
"In the latter case and under the
proviso of the proposed bill, permitting
persons now receiving pensions to be ad-
mtted to the benefits of the act, do not
see how those now on the pension roll, for
disabilities incurred in the service and
which diminish their earning capacity,
can be denied the pension provided in this
bill"
Another condition required Of claimants
under this act is that they shall be "de-
pendent upon their daily labor for sup
port" Under the provisions of this sec
ton, any soldier, the President thinks,
whose faculties of mind or body have be-
come impaired by accident, disease or age
irrespective of his service in the army, and
who by his labor only is left incapable of
gaining the fair support he might with
unimpaired powers have provided for him
SELF and who is not so well endowed with
this worlds goods as to live without work,
may claim to participate in this bounty;
that it is not required that he should be
without property, but only that labor
should be necessary to his supportin some
degree; nor is it required that he should be
now receiving support from others.
Recent observation and experience con.
strain the President to refer to another re-
suit sure to follow the passage of this bill.
There can be no doubt, he says, that the
race after pensions offered by the bill
would not only stimulate weakness and
pretended incapacity for labor, but put
further premium on dishonesty and men.
dacity. More than this, while cost should
not be set against patriotic duty or the
recognition Of a right; still, when meas
ure proposed is based upon generosity or
motives of charity, it is not amiss to medi.
tate somewhat upon the expense it in
wolves. Experience, the President says,
has demonstrated that all estimates con
corning the probable future cost of pen.
sion list are uncertain and unreliable, and
always fall below the actual realization,
and in support of his assertions, says:
"The chairman of the House committee
on pensions calculates that the number Of
pensioners under this bill would be 33, 1O5,
and the increased cost 81, 76l, 100; this is
upon the theory that only those who are
entirely unable to work would be its BEN
eficiaries. Such was the principle of the
rnvO1uti napcian 1o1u of